When it Rains
by AsphyxiatedMinx
Summary: For Sakura, the medication never helped her with her depression, and then again her ever unsupportive sister, Karin, didn't do much either. But maybe, just maybe, some new friends some romance could pull her out of it. MultiXSakura Trigger warning for Depression and Cutting. Naruto AU.
1. Miss Y

To be totally honest, I kind of gave up on the summary, but I put a pretty reasonable amount of effort into the story itself.

So, here I am again, back with another attempt at a Naruto fanfiction. To be honest, the idea behind this one was rather spur of the moment, and I can't really pinpoint what inspired it. It was a mixture of things, really, and I originally thought of this plot for a completely original story, but then decided to make a fanfiction out of it.

The title is for the Paramore song "When it Rains" because I like Paramore, and I just kind of thought of it spur of the moment.

The characters will be a bit out of character (some more so than others) in order to fit better with the plot, which I immensely apologize for. Also, the setting is kind of "modern day America" I guess for a variety of reasons. The main one is that I don't know a lot about the Japanese school system and culture besides what I see in anime, and I don't want to have to bear the embarrassment of getting something wrong so this is just what is familiar to me.

Also, as this does have themes of depression and cutting, I will put in **ALL CAPS AND BOLD LETTERS** if there are any triggers in the chapter. As of currently, I rated this fiction piece as teen, but it may become mature in the future depending on how the plot unfolds.

I don't know if this is really necessary to say, but I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_I walked all night long in the dark just to be standing here  
Only to feel like nobody and Miss Y am I here?_

_-Miss Y by Marina and the Diamonds_

* * *

Psychopathic. That was the word that Karin would have used to describe her twin sister, Sakura. She was insane. Karin never understood why her parents still tried to help her; she was too far gone, but nonetheless, they kept trying, hoping that someday Sakura would make some "miraculous recovery" and become "normal" again. Karin knew that it would never happen of course. Her parents were just delusional, attempting to keep the image of having a perfect family. They passed off Sakura's horrendous social awkwardness as just being "shy" and her ridiculous depression as "going through a phase." Karin, though, just didn't see why they couldn't just send her off to a mental institution with all the rest of the crazy people. It would be a lot less stress that way. Instead, they just kept giving her medication and praying to whatever deity they believed in that Sakura would get better, as if she was actually sick. Sakura wasn't sick though. She was obviously doing all of it for the attention, which was completely undeserved. There was nothing wrong with her life. In fact, Sakura got everything she wanted, and how could parents who gave birth to such a screw up also raise the best child possible? Karin was the poster child: the captain of the cheer squad, the most popular girl in high school, great friends, and the most amazing boyfriend. It's ridiculous to think that Sakura and Karin could even be related, much less twin sisters. They barely even looked similar. Karin had luscious red locks and dark eyes, while Sakura had emerald green eyes and ridiculous pastel pink hair, obviously some strange mutation. Their facial structures were completely different as well. Sakura's face was a bit rounder, softer, and Karin's was slightly sharper, more mature. Everything else about them were complete opposites. Karin was perfect. Sakura was far from it. And it drove, dare I say, Karin to insanity.

It was another typical morning in the Haruno household. Everyone was bustling about, getting ready for the day and eating breakfast. Mr. Haruno sat at the breakfast table, sipping coffee and reading the morning table, Mrs. Haruno was in the kitchen cooking toast, eggs, and bacon, and the two daughters were upstairs preparing for school, though one was more eager than the other.

Karin Haruno sat at her vanity, smiling at her reflection as she brushed out her long, red hair. She let her stereo play bright, poppy music as she got ready, energizing her. She had woken up in an amazing mood. Nothing could bring her down. She looked forward to seeing her friends and her boyfriend at school, and she would certainly pass that calculus test that she had third period. There was nothing for her to stress over. Karin had not a worry in the world, she had a perfect life. Well, almost perfect.

Sakura Haruno, however, was in absolutely no rush to get ready. In fact, she dragged herself along, sluggishly running her hands through her choppy pink hair and tossing on some clothes. She absolutely hated going to school and feeling the stares of others piercing into her back and just the thought of having to be around people for an entire eight hours made her sick to her stomach. It wasn't as though that Sakura hated her life; in fact she knew she had it better than others, but knowing that she couldn't help them made her feel hopeless and terrible. She wished she could give them everything she had. They deserved it much more than her anyways. Sakura had done nothing to earn the amazing things she had in life. She never did anything. That's why she wanted to disappear, to fade away. Maybe then her family could finally be happy. Her parents would be able to stop worrying about her, and she knew for a fact her twin sister, Karin, would be absolutely ecstatic if Sakura were to die. She couldn't though. For whatever reason, her parents wouldn't let her. They kept an eye on her, made sure anything that could mortally hurt her was kept out of her reach. They still were unaware of everything, though. They were oblivious to the blades she kept in her room, the cuts and scars on her arms, hips, and thighs. They didn't know, and they most certainly did not need to know.

Sakura finished getting ready and allowed herself some extra alone time before she was called down to breakfast. She didn't feel like facing her family. She could already tell it was going to be a horrible day. Sooner than Sakura hoped, though, she heard her mother call her down for breakfast before she and Karin left to go to their _ever lovely_ high school and see their "friends." A sigh escaped her lips, and she began to trudge down the hallway and down the stairs. Karin also entered the hallway at the same time and sneered at the sight of her sister. She hissed a few obscenities at Sakura, whom took them easily. It was the same thing every day. _Attention whore. Bitch. Slut. _When Karin first began calling her those, Sakura tried to deny it, but now, she accepted the truth. There was no point in being delusional. She said nothing into response and kept walking. As she stepped onto the stairs, she felt a shove from behind and with a quiet yelp, she tumbled down. When she reached the bottom, she heard her mother gasp and rush over.

"Oh my goodness, Sakura, what happened?" her mother asked, concerned. Sakura gave her a small, shaky smile, attempting to mask her pain and tears.

"I'm alright, Mom. I just tripped," she replied, slowly getting up. Her mother looked at her worriedly for a few more moments before sighing and going back to the kitchen.

"You should be more careful, _Saki_."

Karin descended the stairs gracefully, a smug smirk plastered on her face.

"I wouldn't want you to get hurt, now."

Sakura grit her teeth together, not gracing Karin with a reply. Karin frowned at the lack of a response.

"What, have you gone mute now, too?" she hissed quietly as so that their parents would not hear. Once again, Sakura said nothing, but she walked to the kitchen to escape Karin. Her parents smiled fondly at her, but she knew better than to truly believed they loved her. Deep down, Sakura was sure her parents hated her as much as Karin did.

"So, Sakura, did you remember to take your medication last night?" Mr. Haruno asked kindly. Sakura nodded meekly; she had in fact taken it, though she preferred to call it her "artificial happiness," which it essentially was. Sakura had to take pills in order to help get her depression under control. According to the psychiatrist she visited, there was a chemical imbalance in her brain, which greatly impacted her emotions, so the hope was the medication would help reign in the depression. It helped somewhat, but nonetheless, it was still there. Karin of course, snorted at this, claiming the money should have been put to something useful than an imaginary disease. Sakura somewhat agreed with Karin's statement in that she believed her parents ought to have worried about other things, and rather than spending so much money on her and her problems, they could use it to afford even better luxuries that they themselves could enjoy. It wasn't that Sakura didn't appreciate her parent's concerns, but she hated that they had to be so miserable because of her.

The rest of breakfast was rather uneventful. Sakura quietly ate her breakfast, and Karin ate as well and brightly spoke to her parents about how excited she was for upcoming events. Their parents happily added their added their input when appropriate. Once again, it was a completely normal day in the Haruno household. Soon enough, it was time to go to school. Mr. and Mrs. Haruno said their goodbyes and I love yous and off the daughters left. The car ride to school was quiet. Neither of the sisters uttered a word to each other, and the only noise was that of traffic. When the pulled up, Karin parked and got out of the car and immediately when to her friends and boyfriend. Sakura exited the car as well, but slowly dragged her feet towards the school. She didn't have many friends; she wasn't very skilled with socially, unlike her sister. When they were younger, Sakura was often teased for her wide forehead and unnaturally colored hair, leaving an unforgettable impression on her. She was uncomfortable around others and much preferred the quiet solitude of her room. As she walked through the halls she caught snippets of other students' conversations. Many of them revolved around the parties they attended that weekend and the relationships formed and broken during that time, not that it really mattered. Sakura didn't keep up with gossip very well, unlike her sister; she found it was a waste of time. She continued down the hallway to her locker, and silently got the books and binders she needed for the first half of the day and stored away the ones for the second half. As she closed her locker, she turned around, only to find herself face to face with a cheery blonde boy.

"Hi, you're Sakura, right?" he asked her.

Sakura blinked, absolutely dumbfounded. People at school rarely talked to Sakura, and if they did it was generally just about the homework assignments from the previous night, not just a casual conversation. Also, she was pretty sure that the blonde talking to her was one of Karin's acquaintances. Why would he want to talk to her? Surely Karin must have told everyone about how much of a freak Sakura was.

"Yes, I am…," Sakura finally responded slowly, unsure of what to say, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm Naruto! I was just curious because Karin mentioned she had a sister, but I didn't think I ever met you before," he replied, not missing a single beat, "It's nice to meet you now!"

"Okay."

Sakura really didn't feel like saying much more, but Naruto kept smiling at her as though he was expecting her to keep speaking.

"Um, well I should probably go to homeroom," she continued awkwardly. Naruto's eyes widened as though he had forgotten.

"Oh, yeah, I probably should, too! Whose homeroom are you in, anyways?"

"Iruka-sensei's."

"I'm in Kakashi's, but I'll see you later Sakura!"

Sakura gave him a hesitant smile, but apparently that was enough as Naruto turned away and walked towards his homeroom. She was miffed by the entire encounter, but went her separate way to her homeroom as well. Sakura slipped into the room and sat in the back corner. Her friend, Hinata, was already there, distractedly doodling on a spare piece of paper. When Sakura sat down beside her, she offered her a shy smile.

"Good morning, Sakura," she said. Sakura smiled back.

"Morning, Hinata," she replied. They didn't say anything other than that. Instead, they enjoyed the quiet company of each other. Both were rather shy, but somehow they had found themselves becoming good friends. They found they didn't need to speak in order to convey their feelings towards each other, which made them close.

Hinata had other friends in school, but Sakura felt as though she didn't need friends in her school. Instead, she befriended those she met online. Despite all the warnings she received as a child about predators on the internet, Sakura trusted many of those she met. They understood her well, and quite a few had similar problems to her. They were her best friends.

Most of the day was a blur for Sakura. It passed the way that it generally did. She went to class, ate lunch by herself in the library, and finished that night's homework during her free period. At the end of the day, Sakura went back to the library to read while waiting for Karin to be done with cheer practice, as usual. She had no other way to get home without her sister. It would be different that day, though. Karin approached Sakura, car keys in hand.

"After cheer, I have a study session with friends, so go home now. They're going to drive me home," she said blandly, tossing the keys onto the table in front of Sakura. Sakura didn't respond but picked up the keys. Karin turned to walk away, but after a few steps before turning back around to look at Sakura.

"Don't damage the car," she commanded, but in a way that one would talk to a three year old. Sakura plainly nodded, but Karin eyed her skeptically before leaving. Sakura gathered her things and walked briskly to the car. She wouldn't let on, but she was ecstatic to be able to get home sooner. The sooner she got home, the sooner she would be in the confines of her bedroom and talking to her friends online. She drove home quickly but carefully, not wanting to find out what Karin would do to her if she were to damage the car. She pulled up into the garage and found that her parents were also not yet home. They probably would not be home for quite a few hours, thus making Sakura even more delighted. She hopped up the staircase and practically flew into her bedroom. She had the entire house to herself. She could play her music as loudly as she wanted, and no one could judge her. It was absolutely fantastic. She booted up her laptop and patiently waited for it. Hopefully some of her friends would be online, and perhaps she could get in a Skype call before someone got home.

When it finally loaded, she opened up her favorite chat client "Pesterchum."* A few of her friends were already online, but before she clicked on one to chat with a message popped up. When Sakura opened it, she was met with typically normal words that for her comforted her like no other, for they were filled with sincerity unlike those uttered by everyone else around her.

_How was your day?_

* * *

I promise, I tried. But anyways, I can't give an actual reason as to why I chose the song that I did for the chapter. I just kind of felt like it related a bit, and I absolutely adore Marina and the Diamonds.

*Okay, so, yes Pesterchum is from Homestuck. I honestly couldn't think of another chat client I wanted to use, and I didn't feel like putting in Skype yet.

I would absolutely love it if you reviewed with a suggestion perhaps, and thank you so much for reading!


	2. Indiana

Wow, another chapter, I can't even believe it myself. But yeah, here it is. To be totally honest, this chapter was a bit forced, but I'm fairly satisfied with how it is right now. Also, there's a couple Tumblr and Homestuck references, so that's a quick warning.

**THERE IS CUTTING IN THIS CHAPTER.**

But yeah, let's go on with the chapter!

* * *

_She began to die  
Indiana that's not right  
Indiana that's not life_

_-Indiana by Meg & Dia_

* * *

"I swear to God, he's filming a porno in there."

"_What_?"

"I'm not even kidding, I can hear him making sound effects and shit."

"Wait, with _who_? How would your brother find someone to make a porno with?"

"It's not a question of _who,_ it's a question of _what_. I'm pretty sure he's filming it with his stupid sex puppets or whatever."

"Woah, now, Gaara, since when are you Dave Strider*?"

It was a relatively typical conversation between Sakura and her internet friend, Gaara. They often called each other over Skype and talked about nonsense. They were incredibly close friends, perhaps even best friends, so they had no issues bringing up even the most awkward of subjects. They met each other back at towards the start of their second year of high school through an "art sharing" website online, which Gaara posted his closet cosplays (which he was rather proud of at the time, but no cringes at the slightest mention of them), and Sakura published her ever hilarious fanfiction, mostly crack ships mixed with wretched mary-sue O.C.s. This was also back during the time that they both that cutting and depression was "cool" and "trendy." In a way, Sakura thought that it was pure karma biting her in the ass considering what she dealt with later in high school. When Sakura first got the guts to message Gaara about his ever "amazing" cosplays, they almost instantly became friends. They had so much in common: siblings that they found a bit off and a belief that they could be each other's "genderbend." Something about them just clicked, and they stuck together, through good times and bad. It was a friendship match made in heaven, other than that they lived in two separate cities that took quite a few hours to transit between.

"Oh, hey, Saku, I have a question for you."

"If it's about homework, the answer is no."

"It's not about that."

Sakura blinked, slightly confused and slightly worried, at the seriousness of his tone.

"Uh, alright then… Shoot."

"How would you react if I told you I was moving to Konoha?"

Sakura leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment, considering her words.

"That would be absolutely amazing, but I doubt that would ever happen," she replied, picking at the dry skin around her nails, "Why do you ask?"

Gaara didn't say anything for a moment.

"Just curious."

Sakura pursed her lips, knowing full and well that Gaara wasn't telling her the whole truth, but instead of pressing him for more answers, she let it go. He would tell her anyways when the time comes.

"Hey, do you think Sai will get online?"

Sai was another internet friend of Sakura's, as well as Gaara's. They however, met more recently over a blogging website. Sai occasionally posted fanart of their favorite webcomic, so Sakura and Gaara messaged him to compliment it. Due to Sai's lack of social tact, Sakura and Gaara found themselves wondering how on earth they managed to befriend him. In the end, it all worked out, and the three of them ended up being an oddly mismatched group.

"Ugh, I don't know, nor do I care. I'm still pissed about last time," Sakura responded with a pout.

"Why? Because he insulted your poetry?"

"No. Well, yes. But it's because he—," Sakura cut off midsentence. She swore she heard a door opening, signaling that she was no longer alone in the house.

"He what?"

"Um, I'll tell you later. I have to go."

Through the webcam picture, Sakura could see her friend frown.

"Is it your parents or your sister?"

Sakura sighed and rested her head on the palm of her hand.

"I don't know, but either way, I should probably get some work done."

"Over-achiever."

The corner of her lips pulled up into a smile.

"You know it. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

Sakura hung up the video call just in time before her sister burst into her room.

"You know, _Saki_, I thought I heard you talking to someone, but then I remembered that no one would ever want to be around someone like _you_," Karin sneered, hands on her hips. Sakura stared up at her with a blank expression.

"Did you come in here to insult me, or is there something else you want?" Sakura snapped, not in the mood to deal with Karin. Something within her made gave her enough confidence to briefly stand up for herself, and frankly, it felt amazing.

"Oo, someone's got quite the sassy mouth," Karin cooed, walking towards Sakura, an intimidating smile on her face. Fear rapidly overtook her confidence, and as quick as it came, it was gone. Sakura cowered away from her sister who was slowly advancing. "Aw, are your words failing you again? It's too bad you have no one to protect you."

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep tears from escaping. She shouldn't have said anything. It just made everything worse. Everything she did made things worse.

"God, you're such a wimp, Sakura. It's no wonder why everyone hates you. You're a disgrace to the entire human species, you abominable _thing_," Karin hissed in disgust. With that, she turned on her heels and walked out of Sakura's room, slamming the door shut behind her.

It was as though a dam broke, and tears came flowing down her eyes and silent sobs shook her body. Sakura couldn't stand listening to Karin. It wasn't as though that Sakura hated Karin feeding her lies, but rather that she believed that everything Karin blathered about was true. She had little self-worth, and honestly thought that she did not belong on the earth. Often Sakura had thoughts of taking her own life, but she was scared. She was terrified of death and what lied beyond life on Earth. That's why she turned to other alternatives. Sakura self-harmed, using blades to slice open her skin. It was the one pain she could control. It reminded her she was still present, still able to feel. It was her freedom. She never told her parents, psychologist, or God forbid, her sister. It was her secret, which she only shared with Gaara. He understood her well, but at times she wondered if she was a burden to him, whether he truly cared for her. She didn't want to know.

As quiet, pitiful tears trickled down her cheeks, she reached for her familiar blade, buried underneath a few necklaces in a jewelry box on her desk. Without a second thought, she drew it slowly across the skin of her inner wrist. One, two, three, times, over and over again. She lost count as she continued cutting, opening up old cuts and scars, watching as blood welled up and drip down her arm. Up and down her forearm she cut; her breathing short and fast. When there was finally no room left to cut, she stopped, replacing the blade back underneath the necklaces. She felt a kind of dreamlike calm. Sakura watched her blood for a few minutes longer until she rose and entered the bathroom adjoined to her bedroom. Silently, she rinsed her arm and wrapped it with bandages from her first aid kit so that she wouldn't stain her bed sheets or clothes. She grabbed her pajamas from her closet and changed into them before crawling into bed. It was still early into the evening, but Sakura had no desire to do anything else. Her parents weren't even home, and she lost any sort of appetite. When they returned, they would probably assume Sakura was in one of her "moods" and leave her be if she didn't come down for dinner. That was fine. She wanted to be alone.

As she lied in bed, she stared up at her ceiling, tears still in her eyes. Her lips formed silent words of wishes. She wished for happiness. She wished to be as free as a bird, flying high in the sky with no restraints. Sakura closed her eyes, rolled onto her side, and curled into her blankets. With one last fleeting thought, she fell into a dreamless slumber.

The next morning, she woke up long before she had to. Sakura sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes groggily. Checking the clock on her bedside table, she figured that there was no point in trying to go back to sleep at that point, and she may as well get a head start on getting ready. She tossed her blankets to the side and slid out of bed, stretching her arms out above her head. Sakura ambled over to her closet and picked out the clothes for the day. The night before didn't feel real to her at the moment, and the only reminder was the stinging in her forearm.

As she brushed her teeth and showered, she mused over what she needed to get done. Winter break would be there in a month, so teachers were piling on a last minute tests, quizzes, and projects before midterms. It wasn't as stressful as Sakura thought at first, but rather it was just time management, a strong asset of Sakura's. Then again, Sakura never had much of a social life or extracurricular activities to add into the equation.

Once she finished getting dressed, she checked the time once more and realized it was still early. Her parents and Karin were probably just then getting up. Sakura picked her phone off the charger and checked it, doubtful that anyone would have texted her, but no. There was a reassuring "are you okay" text from Gaara and a sarcastically apologetic text from Sai about insulting her poetry. Seeing these made her smile, and she sent them quick replies, though she knew that they too were probably just waking up. Sakura still had quite a bit of free time until breakfast, so she sat down at her desk and opened her laptop. She browsed Tumblr for a while until she checked the clock and saw that everyone else would already be down for breakfast. She picked up her messenger bag off the floor, hoisted it up onto her shoulder, and walked into the hallway and down the stairs. She was correct in thinking that her parents and Karin were at breakfast, as they looked up at her as she entered the kitchen.

"Did you eat dinner last night, sweetie?" Mrs. Haruno asked worriedly. Sakura forced a smile onto her face.

"Yeah, I did. I just ate before you and Dad got home," she replied as she reached into the cupboards for a granola bar. As she turned back around to face her family, her mother and father exchanged looks that Sakura knew quite well what it meant. She flashed them another smile. "I'm fine, I promise."

"We believe you, Saki," Mr. Haruno reassured, though Sakura still thought that he looked doubtful. She peeled the wrapper off of the granola bar.

"Karin, are you ready to go yet?" she asked. Karin rolled her eyes.

"Impatient much? We'll go in a second," she grumbled before taking another bite of toast. Sakura shrugged and readjusted her bag on her shoulder.

It wasn't long until they arrived at school. Just like the day before, Karin was quickly off with her friends, and Sakura walked into the school. Once again, she went to her locker, not expecting for anyone to talk to her. However, after her closing her locker and turning around she saw that Naruto was back again. He gave her another wide grin.

"Good morning, Sakura!" he cheerfully said. She gave him a half smile.

"Hi, Naruto," she replied quietly.

"Hey, Sakura, just wondering, but where do you sit during lunch?" he asked, regarding her with wide blue eyes.

"I sit in the library."

"By yourself?"

She nodded silently. Naruto frowned at this newfound information.

"You should join me in the cafeteria sometime."

Sakura didn't like the sound of that idea, but she shrugged anyways.

"Maybe."

"You should sit with me today! The library's closed during lunch."

She pursed her lips.

"Why?"

"I don't know, they're setting something up in there for the underclassmen or something," he responded with a smile, "But yeah, come find me in the cafeteria after fourth period, and we can sit together!"

It ended up being that Sakura didn't take Naruto up on his offer. She couldn't stand sitting in the cafeteria. She found that it was too loud, too crowded for her to eat there comfortably. Instead, she decided to go eat lunch out on the roof. She assumed that there would be few people there, if any at all. As she walked up the stairwell, her bag bounced off her leg rhythmically. She had gotten there rather quickly as to avoid the rush of students coming out of their classrooms, and hopefully she would be the first of the few to get to the roof. It seemed, however, that Sakura was wrong, as when she opened the door there was already another person sitting there. They were turned away from her, and they didn't look at her. Nonetheless, it seemed as though they could sense her presence.

"I believe you're somewhere that, perhaps, you don't belong."

* * *

Well, yeah, there you have it. Another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!

*Dave Strider. Homestuck. I'm so sorry, I should be shot or something.


	3. Perfect Stranger

And at long last, there is another chapter. I'm so sorry for the wait, time just got away from me, I guess. But yes, here is another chapter after, like, 2 months. But hey, three chapters is more than I've ever done before.

There aren't any triggers in this chapter, and in all honesty it's somewhat of a filler, but it does introduce some characters that will be fairly significant in the future.

Also, the chapter title and lyrics are by Katy B, but in all honesty, I've never heard the original song, and for me it's more based off of Marina & the Diamond's cover of it. Please don't kill me.

That being said, I'll just go on and get into this chapter.

* * *

_I don't know  
Who you are  
All I really know is there's something in your heart  
That makes me feel  
It's a new start_

_-Perfect Stranger by Katy B_

* * *

Sakura was never gifted with words, especially when talking to a very attractive male, and even more so when she was caught off guard. Thus when the stranger in front of her spoke to her, she was at a loss of words.

"Um…"

She stammered and stuttered for a few moments, a deep blush across her cheeks. Sakura was so incredibly flustered, because gosh, what a way to make a good impression. She was expecting a biting remark to come and further worsen her embarrassment, but it didn't come.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said kindly, trying to meet Sakura's eyes. She, however, avoided his dark eyes and instead looked down at her trainer clad feet and fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt.

"No, _I'm _sorry," she murmured, still not looking up at him. She heard him laugh gently, and she bent her head down a little further in an attempt to hide her flushed cheeks.

"Why? You didn't know anyone was up here," he replied reassuringly, "And you can sit with me if you'd like."

Sakura gave him a quiet thank you and sat down, careful as to not sit too close or too far. She glanced up at him through her eyelashes, but kept her head bent. He looked familiar, but she had a bit of trouble placing where she had seen him.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what is your name?" she inquired shyly. He chuckled.

"Oh, I forgot to say, I'm Itachi Uchiha."

And that would explain why he looked familiar.

"What about you? What is your name?"

"I'm Sakura… Sakura Haruno."

"Karin's sister?"

"I didn't know that was common knowledge," Sakura sighed under her breath, but Itachi was still able to hear her words.

"No, it isn't, but I hear your sister talk about you occasionally, so I deducted from your name that you are indeed sisters."

Without thinking, Sakura cheekily responded, "I was unaware that I am in the presence of Sherlock Holmes." However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she looked up at him with wide eyes, abashed that she would say such a thing. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking!" she said quickly. Itachi laughed good-naturedly.

"There's no reason for you to be sorry, Sakura. It's quite refreshing to have a casual conversation with someone I just met," he replied. Sakura pulled her knees up to her chest, but she couldn't come up with a good enough response, so she said nothing. Itachi took it into stride, but as he opened his mouth to say something else, the door behind them burst open.

"Hey, Itachi, we got food, yeah!" a loud voice exclaimed. An annoyed expression flitted across Itachi's face, but it was gone as quickly as it came as he turned to look at the person who entered. Sakura as well turned to face the newcomer and was mildly surprised to see three other males standing in the doorway. One was a blonds with rather long hair secured up in a ponytail and bangs over one of his eyes. Another was taller than the others with short, black hair with such a strong blue tint that Sakura could have sworn it was navy, and the last had deep red hair that looked much like Gaara's. Finally noticing Sakura, all three of them looked at her with varying degrees of curiosity, and her face flushed from the attention.

"Itachi, who's this?" the dark haired one asked, glancing over the girl sitting in front of him.

"This is Sakura," Itachi explained, "Sakura, these three are Deidara, Kisame, and Sasori." The first two smiled at her, while the third gave her a nod of recognition.

"Hi, Sakura, it's nice to meet you," Deidara said, walking over and sitting down near her.

"Hello," she responded timidly, toying with her sweatshirt sleeves.

"Say, Sakura, is your hair naturally pink?" Kisame asked, sitting down as well. Sakura apprehensively nodded, unsure of what he was trying to get at. Kisame grinned back at her then looked to the other three males.

"See, you guys can't make fun of me any more for having unnaturally-colored natural hair," he exclaimed, "Because now I'm not the only one." Sasori regarded him with a blank stare.

"Kisame, that made no sense," Sasori deadpanned. Kisame made a face and several exasperated noises as he began to attempt to explain what he meant, but finally just gave up, tossing his hands into the air.

"Forget it, at least I know what I meant," he sulked. At that, Sakura couldn't repress the small giggle that escaped from her lips. Then, all four pairs of eyes were focused on her.

"Aw, that was so cute, yeah!" Deidara joked, wrapping a playful arm around Sakura. She made a noise of discontent as she buried her face in her hands from embarrassment.

"Sakura, there's no need to be shy around us," Itachi reassured her. She didn't look up at him, but made a small sound.

"Don't worry, we'll get you to open up," Kisame added, not fully realizing what he said. An awkward silence followed. Sakura didn't need to look up to know that Sasori was once again giving Kisame a look.

"That sounded a bit wrong," Sasori said slowly. She finally glanced up to see Kisame's face burning at the realization of what he said.

"I didn't mean it like that you dirty-minded people!" he yelled defensively. The other three males burst out in laughter, and even Sakura cracked a smile. Kisame was partially right, though. Perhaps Sakura would open up to them eventually, but for now it would be baby steps.

Before Sakura knew it, lunch was ending, and she and the four males were gathering their things and getting ready to head back to class. Just as she opened the door to the stairwell down, Deidara called out to her.

"Hey, join us again tomorrow, yeah!"

Sakura simply nodded and turned back around and descended the stairs. She was sure they followed soon behind her, but she didn't look to check. She made her way to class absentmindedly, and when she arrived she took her usual spot in the back corner of the room. Sakura watched as people slowly filed in, and she could have sworn she saw someone she had never seen in school before enter the room. Blinking, she attempted to shake off the confused feeling. There was no way someone would join in the middle of the school year. She turned her attention away from him as her teacher, Kurenai, entered the room and stood at the front of the class. Kurenai waited a moment as the bell rang before she began speaking.

"Good afternoon class. This may come as a surprise to you, but we have a new student joining us today. If you would please stand up and introduce yourself briefly, that would be great."

Sakura watched in shock as he stood up and glanced over the room with an unreadable expression. She couldn't believe this, the chances of this happening was incredibly improbable.

"Hello, I'm Sai. I hope we all have a great rest of the year together," he said with a blinding smile on his face. A few girls were easily charmed by this, believing the smile to be sincere and absolutely handsome, but Sakura saw right through his guise. She knew the smile was fake, artificial. Sai never truly smiled.

As Sai sat back down, Kurenai drew everyone's attention back to her. "Alright, class, please turn to page 394 in your textbook, and we will begin our lesson. We'll check homework at the end of class." Sakura flipped her book open to the page, and attempted to focus on the problems in front of her, but she kept being distracted by Sai. It wasn't as though that he was doing anything distracting in particular, but just his presence was enough to draw her focus to him. She didn't understand why he was there, and she was most certainly going to find out.

At the end of class, she quickly rushed up to him before anyone else could.

"Sai!" she called out to him. Said male turned around with a confused expression.

"Sakura?" he questioned slowly, trying to make sense of the situation. She regarded him with a deadpan expression.

"Who else would it be?"

Sai opened his mouth to give her a sarcastic remark, but she quickly cut him off.

"Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question."

Sai shrugged and readjusted his backpack on his shoulders.

"I'm assuming you aren't just here to socialize, Ugly, so go ahead and spit out what you wanted to say in the first place."

Sakura shot him a scathing glare.

"I want to know why you're here," she snapped, "And way to be rude to one of your only friends."

"Well, Sakura, for all you know, I could have many friends as I am a master of social tact," Sai boasted, at which Sakura raised an eyebrow at. Sai gave her another infamous plastic smile. "Yeah, you're right; you are one of my only friends."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"

"I was just getting to that. But, um, I did some things that caused me to get kicked out of my previous school and forced me to transfer here."

"What did you do?" she exclaimed, at which her dark haired friend shrugged again in response.

"It's a long story."

"Alright, fine, tell me later. Meet me after school in the library; I need to get to class."

Sai agreed, and the duo went their separate ways. Sakura was incredibly annoyed with her friend, not necessarily so much about the fact he did something terrible enough to get himself expelled from his old school, but rather he didn't find it important enough to notify her before he showed up out of the blue. As she made her way to her gym class, she wondered if Gaara new about Sai's transfer, but then figured that he would have told her. Or perhaps not. Sakura never understood the opposite gender and their mindsets. When she entered the gymnasium, she was blessed with the knowledge that they would be having a study hall for the period. Sakura wasn't exactly sure of the circumstance, but she didn't bother to ask. She was not in the mood to run around in a sweatshirt to hide her cuts from the night before. Knowing that she would have no time after school to finish her homework, she went ahead and finished it then.

Soon enough, that period passed, and it was time for the last class of the day. She had world history with Kakashi, a notoriously relaxed teacher who was strict when it came to grading. It was also the only class she had with Sasuke, her sister's boyfriend. They rarely talked, but it was slightly convenient for the two incase one was absent, and they could get the assignment for the day from the other.

Upon entering the classroom, Sakura glanced at the board, and two words were enough to send horrified chills down her spine. _Group Project_. Sakura couldn't stand working in groups, especially with people she barely knew. She felt like she weighed the group down and didn't do her share, despite her going above and beyond. Also, group projects also implied _presenting_ the project, another thing Sakura felt incapable of. She quickly took her seat, as she was afraid she would collapse from how hard she was shaking. A wave of anxiety and panic took over her as she sat there, unaware as the bell rang and her teacher entered the room. Clasping her hands together, she felt tears well up in her eyes. No, she couldn't cry, not in public. She had to get a hold of herself. Sakura took a few shaky breaths and attempted to focus on what Kakashi was saying.

"As you can tell from what has been written on the board, we will be having a group project," he drawled with his hands in his pockets. A chorus of unpleased groans followed. Ignoring the protests, Kakashi carried on, "As there are twenty students in this class, there will be five groups of four. You will not be choosing the groups yourself, and I will pass around a bag with numbers in it, and all the people with the same number will be a group. After you get into your groups, I will tell you your assignment." There were protesting groans that were once again ignored as Kakashi began passing around the bag. As the velvet bag finally landed on Sakura's desk, she hesitantly took a slip of paper and passed it on. Her hands shook nervously as she unfolded the paper. Number five. She glanced around the room, wondering who would be in her group. She prayed to a deity that it would hopefully be people she was comfortable around to some extent, but knowing her luck, it would probably all be people who hated her.

The bag made its way around the room and back into Kakashi's hands. He began calling out group numbers, what their assignment would be, and told them to sit near each other.

"If you are in group five, please sit in the back left corner of the room. Your topic will be the Renaissance."

As Sakura slowly made her way to the back, she heard one of Karin's acquaintances, Ino, pipe up in protest. "But, Kakashi-sensei, we haven't covered that topic in class yet!" Kakashi sighed in frustration.

"Miss Yamanaka, it seems as though you were not listening earlier. If you had heard me, I stated that while some topics we have already discussed, whilst others we have yet to get to."

"But that isn't fair!"

"It will give you an advantage when we get to that topic in class."

Ino looked as though she wanted to keep arguing, but she kept her mouth shut in a firm line. Sakura had to admire her boldness though; doing something like was something she would never have the guts to do. Settling down at a desk, she looked at her three group members and felt conflicted feelings about them. There was Ino, Sasuke, and who has been referred to as the "lazy genius" by many, Shikamaru Nara. Judging by the look on Ino's face, Sakura could tell she was having similar conflicted feelings. Ino, though not getting the highest grades in the class, was incredibly hardworking but easily distracted at times. Sasuke was easily considered a prodigy, but he was not much of a team player and often could become overbearing when forced into a group, especially when it came to academics. Shikamaru easily had the highest test scores of perhaps the entire grade, alas his other grades suffered from the lack of effort he put into class, and Sakura, no matter how well she did on her own, lacked the social skills necessary to be an active group member.

"I expect each group to have a slideshow presentation prepared on your given topic by a month from today. While I will give you a few class periods to work on your project, you still have to get together outside of school in order to complete it. I have a syllabus to pick up at the front of the room, and you have the rest of class to divide up the work and begin research," Kakashi instructed before sitting down at his desk and pulling out a book to read.

Sasuke muttered that he would grab the syllabus for the rest of the group and got up. Shikamaru let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"This is exceptionally troublesome," he grumbled, staring up at the ceiling. Ino crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"Excuse me, but I would like to get a passing grade in this class, so if you could participate, that would be greatly appreciated, mmkay?" Ino replied in a sugary sweet tone, though one could easily catch the anger underneath it. Shikamaru grumbled something else under his breath, but Sakura couldn't catch what he said. Sasuke returned with four pieces of paper and handed one to the others.

Sasuke, being the natural leader he is, spoke up. "We can work at my house whenever we all have time. Exchange numbers so that we will all be in contact, and begin researching individually and when we all convene again we can make it a cohesive presentation," he said simply, flipping over his paper to write down the others' phone numbers. Unsure of what else to do, the other three complied. By the end of class they managed to work out that all four would be available that week end and would meet up at Sasuke's house. When the bell rang signaling the end of the day, Sakura quickly gathered her things and left the classroom. She assumed no one had anything else to say, and if they did, they could easily text her.

She weaved through the crowd of people to get to the library. Apparently, Sai's last period was closer than Sakura's, as he stood in the entrance waiting for her.

"What took you so long, Ugly?"

Sakura didn't bother to grace him with an answer to his question, but rather forged on ahead to find out what he did.

"You said it was a long story, so you'd better start talking," she said impatiently. It was just like him to beat around the bush.

"Straight to the point, huh, Sakura? Anyways, yes, it is a rather long story, and perhaps it would be best if you sat down."

"Oh, God, so it's _that_ long?"

"Yes, _that_ long."


End file.
